Winter Wonderland
Hyde Park at it's shiniest
Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park is simultaneously adorable and incredibly obnoxious. One the one hand you have overpriced fair-ground rides with bright, tacky lighting and advertising. Last year there was a giant Bavarian man and his talking bird, too. It’s flashy and dizzying and acts so much like a theme park while parading around a bunch of beaten up rides and funfair games that reminds me of a tiny travelling show that would set up on the grounds on an abandoned Church not too far from my house, but then they price it and act like these rides and games are so much more. It truly drives the point home that Christmas, despite its beauty and, in my opinion, aim to bring love and wonder to people’s hearts, it really is just about making money (sorry).
But then you have the other side of it. Ironically, this is the side where people are actively trying to sell you things. Perhaps it’s because it’s not on a cheap ride that makes me think of hanging onto a rickety railing, desperately trying not to get thrown out. Perhaps it’s because I adore German Christmas villages. And fires. And, of course, food. I might have not been able to buy anything, but trust me, smell is part of the beauty that is eating, so I got at least a partial course for free.
The Christmas Village aspect to Hyde Park is why I go back. I skip right past the rides, laugh at them perhaps, but carry on my merry way. I spend time around the food, warm up at some fires. Spend time with friends. We’re all students, we’re all poor. Then it’s time to wander around the unique, beautiful items that people have made. You can find some gorgeous, hand-made pieces too, and play around with the toys on display. Inevitably you think of who you can get this for, or who you can get that for, and suddenly you’re not just window shopping, you’re reminiscing.
Just fingers crossed the ground isn’t mud. That could put a damper on things really fast.
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